Landor Associates: Bringing a Brand to Life

Brand guidelines are established which include all pertinent details surrounding the design initiative. Fonts and colors are meticulously specified. Purposeful, targeted instructions provide boundaries within which design and production partners can create packaging and collateral materials. Can the logo be white on a black background? Can marketing copy be adjacent to the product icon? These important questions are answered and most anticipated scenarios are solved and clearly communicated.

Have Fun!
The success of a design depends on the loyalty and participation of its stakeholders. There is a tendency for brand guidelines to be cold and clinical—cue the Brand Police!—but that is not always necessary. Every product comprising a brand is trying to engage print vendors (and ultimately consumers) as partners in a brand vision. A cold encyclopedia of do’s and don’ts does not encourage the jealous equity protection that a brand deserves. At Landor we often emulate the brand theme into a playful version of brand guidelines. We’ve found that partners are better motivated to live the principles of a brand if they are simple, true, and engaging. And successful brands are backed by those proud people who have brought those ideas to life. pP